Christopher Shannon AW14

Melancholy, vibrancy and the re-birth of the tracksuit make for an electric end to London

Initial reaction: London saved the best until last – Shannon shook things up with his “melancholy and vibrant” exploration into the birth of the tracksuit in the 70s.

The muse: “I kept thinking about a footballer walking home in the rain and picking up a pint of milk. It’s quite a sad reference, but I kind of like it and it’s quite sexy…” – Christopher Shannon.

Highlights: Shannon’s own brand of fags called ‘Good time’ which covered bright orange jumpers – who said smoking wasn’t cool? Models all emerged with dripping wet hair pulled over their faces drenched in Judy Blame’s cash themed jewellery made especially for the show. Monochrome floral wallpaper prints referenced derelict buildings from Shannon’s own archive of “miserable books” and tracksuits were deconstructed and modernised.

The miserable manifesto: “When I was a kid, the people that wore 70s tracksuits were pervy P.E teachers! The scene I was referencing had a gritting mood and felt a little bit downbeat. The 70s was a really political time that was quite miserable and I’ve got a lot of miserable books! Suddenly I was like, ‘God, why have I got all these miserable books? What is it about them?’” – Christopher Shannon.

Soundtrack: “I was listening to lots of old Adrian Sherwood, sort of like new-age dub, I was like ‘Oh, my God. I’m so into this sound, this is what the show should look like.’” – Christopher Shannon.

For his AW14 YouTube clip, Christopher Shannon selected a documentary clip zoning in on experimental post punk, and the short-lived jazz-infected band Rip Rig and Panic.